Many
people started to question the use of
the 'Jewish star' in the building's design,
after the 'Cordoba Institute' issued a
photo-an architectural
representation-of what the proposed Islamic
center and mosque would look like. And
while there are many serious reasons to
question the building of this mosque,
there should be no reason to question
the 'look' of the proposed building.

This
type of architecture is known as Mudejar.
It is representative of a period of decoration
and art which saw fruition from the 12th
to the 16th century, in the Islamic portions
of the Iberian peninsula (in what is today
modern Spain). Elements of this ornate
architecture includes elaborate and complex
shapes and repetitive symbols.

One
of these oft-repeated symbols is the hexagram
or what Jews call the 'Magen David' (Shield
of David). This star, made up of two intersecting
triangles, has been included among the
preponderance of Jewish symbols for hundreds
of years. This star has been seen not
only in architecture from Islamic Spain,
but also in North Africa, predominantly
in Morocco, where it has been used as
a common design motif for at least 1,000
years. In both Spain and Morocco, the
hexagram has been included as a decorative
motive not only on mosques, but also on
synagogues. Mudejar architecture
was cherished not only by Arabs in Spain
and Morocco, but also by the large Jewish
communities which once existed there.

The
star has come to represent the State of
Israel, after it was selected to be used
on the flag of the country during the
mid-20th century. The actual origins of
the hexagram as a 'Jewish' star, or 'Star
of David' remain unclear. The star is
not mentioned in the Torah or the
Talmud (bodies of Jewish religious
law), and the great 12th century medieval
Jewish scholar, Maimonides, never mentioned
it, nor did the Zohar, the renowned
13th century master book of kabbalah.
However, the symbol itself has been found
on Jewish tombstones and other objects
since at least the 3rd century CE. In
actuality, it seems this star was not
a Jewish symbol at all, but was one of
many universally accepted 'magical' symbols
that the Jewish people adopted in the
19th century.

###

The author is a scholar
of Judaic life in Islamic Spain and is
the former U.S. Director of 'Justice
for Jews from Arab Countries.' He
was also a rescue worker at Ground Zero.
He has recently established a Congressional
Exploratory Committee to run for the US
House of Representatives as a Congressman
from New York.